Danger Ahead!

Posted on February 26, 2019 by jesustrek

A hiker in Yosemite National Park was killed Sunday when struck by falling rock and ice. Officials had closed the trail due to the hazardous conditions. The trail closure was clearly marked, but the hiker ignored the warning and suffered the consequences.

The Bible is filled with warnings to everyone who is traveling down life’s trail. The danger signs are not hidden; they are clear and distinctive. God wants us to know full well the peril that awaits us if we choose to ignore the warnings and proceed down a path that is not safe for us. Wise people will heed the warnings!

“My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.”—Proverbs 3:21-26

 

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Easy for Me to Say!

Posted on February 25, 2019 by jesustrek

I was once watching a sports announcer on television as he offered his view of something that had happened in the sports world. I don’t recall whether he was talking about a certain player, a particular team or a play that he was describing, but his opinion of what had happened was quite negative. He ended with these words—“Easy for me to say! I’m wearing makeup!”

This was a clever way of acknowledging that he realized that he wasn’t the one competing; he was merely an observer. It is easy to be critical; it is difficult to actually play the sport.

It is easy for church members to sit in the pew and complain about what is going on. It’s much harder to join in the action and try to make a difference.

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing.”—Philippians 2:14

 

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Determination

Posted on February 22, 2019 by jesustrek

Ignacy Jan Paderewski

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was asked by a fellow pianist if he could be ready to play a recital on short notice. The famous musician replied: “I am always ready. I have practiced eight hours daily for forty years.”

The other pianist said, “I wish I had been born with such determination.”

Paderewski replied, “We are all born with it. I just used mine.”

“To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.”—Colossians 1:29

 

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Are You Ready?

Posted on February 21, 2019 by jesustrek

I have heard that there is an old tombstone in a cemetery in Indiana which bears the following epitaph:

Pause Stranger when you pass me by,

As you are now, so once was I.

As I am now, so you will be,

So prepare for death and follow me.

 

An unknown passerby read those words and underneath scratched this reply:

To follow you I’m not content,

Until I know which way you went.

 

Each one of us has an appointment with death, so we had indeed better be making preparations for that event.

 

“…people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”—Hebrews 9:27-28

 

Are you ready? Are you waiting for him?

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Close to God

Posted on February 20, 2019 by jesustrek

Alberta Herron

My old friend Alberta Herron recently passed away at the age of 93. Alberta was a wonderful Christian woman, one of the best members a church could ever have. She cared about people, and you could always count on her to faithfully fulfill her role in the church.

Alberta hated to see anything go to waste, so she took the leftover communion juice home and made grape jelly out of it. She would share this jelly with family members and church friends. If I ever suddenly felt close to God while eating a piece of toast, I suppose I have Alberta to thank for that!

Communion is a special time of remembering what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross to pay for our sins. Communion makes us feel close to God, so we should make every effort to participate in the Lord’s Supper every chance we get.

“On the first day of the week, we came together to break bread…”—Acts 20:7

 

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Similar Uniforms

Posted on February 19, 2019 by jesustrek

The new professional football league, the AAF, is off to a good start in their first two weeks. The games have been getting a lot of attention, and the reception from fans has been strong.

However, a game yesterday between the San Diego Fleet and the Atlanta Legends caused some confusion for many watching the game. The uniforms that the teams wore were so similar that it was difficult to tell the players apart! This is an issue that the league might want to address as they continue to work out some of their problems.

It is a problem in the kingdom when observers can’t tell Christians from non-Christians on the basis of their actions. The Bible says to get rid of the soiled garments of a sinful lifestyle and put on the righteous clothing that Christ gives us.

“Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”—Romans 13:13-14

Can people tell by your uniform whose team you are on?

 

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Doing Without

Posted on February 18, 2019 by jesustrek

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

While on a recent cruise to the Caribbean, my wife and I met a young lady who lives and works in St. Thomas. She was telling us about how life was for her and her family in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane that hit her town. One thing that stands out in my mind is that she said that they were without water and electricity for 192 days. No water or electricity for 192 days!! We get aggravated if we have to do without one or the other for just a couple of hours!

We should learn to be more thankful for what we have.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”—Philippians 4:12

 

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It Felt Real

Posted on February 15, 2019 by jesustrek

Someone asked a golfer if he ever had a hole-in-one. He answered, “No, but I know what one feels like.” When asked to explain, he said, “I hit a ball on an unfamiliar course, and it rolled up toward the pin and suddenly disappeared. One of the caddies yelled, ‘It’s in the cup!’”

The golfer continued, “I jumped up and down and celebrated my first hole-in-one in more than 30 years of playing golf. But when we walked up to the green, we discovered it wasn’t in the cup after all. The ball had disappeared behind a small rise in the green and couldn’t be seen from the tee. I felt I had a hole-in-one, but really it wasn’t.”

Truth matters in golf. The man couldn’t write a “one” on his score card just because he felt so good about the shot. In fact, he missed the five-foot putt and had to record a three!

Truth matters in life. Some people feel like they are experiencing the best that life has to offer when they really aren’t. The best life comes through faith in Jesus. Any other feeling is simply not true.

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”—John 10:10

 

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Reliable

Posted on February 14, 2019 by jesustrek

I once read about a man who lived in Long Island, New York, in the early 1900s. This fellow was an amateur meteorologist. He once ordered a barometer from a mail-order company and anxiously awaited the arrival of his purchase. When it came, he excitedly opened the package and removed the barometer from the box. However, his excitement quickly turned to disappointment. The barometric pressure reading was so low, the hand on the dial pointed to “Hurricanes”. Concluding that he’d been sent a defective barometer, the man prepared to send it back to the manufacturer. However, later that day an unexpected hurricane blew across Long Island. The barometer, it seems, had been accurate after all.

There will be times when you read your Bible and say to yourself, “That can’t be true!” We don’t think like God does, and when He says something that doesn’t go along with our way of thinking, some people doubt the reliability of the Bible.

However, the Bible has been proven time and time again to be quite reliable. You can trust the Word of God, even when it tells you some truths that are difficult to believe.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”—Psalm 119:105

 

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Who Are You Going to Believe?

Posted on February 13, 2019 by jesustrek

A man was speeding through a small town when he got pulled over by a local deputy. The deputy approached the car and said, “I guess you know you were driving well over the speed limit. Let me see your driver’s license, sir.”

“Oh, I don’t have a driver’s license,” the man replied.

“What?! You don’t have a license? Such disrespect for the law! Well, show me your proof of insurance.”

“Sir, I don’t have any insurance,” the driver answered.

“You mean to tell me that you don’t have either a driver’s license or insurance on this vehicle? You are going to be in a lot of trouble!”

“Sir, you need to just calm down,” the driver exhorted. “If you are going to be that upset about those little things, what are you going to do when I show you the dead body in the trunk of my car?”

Upon hearing that, the deputy called for backup. In just a couple of minutes the sheriff pulled up with his blue light flashing. After a brief consultation with the deputy, the sheriff spoke to the driver.

“My deputy here says that you were driving through our town without a license.”

“That’s not true, sheriff! I have a valid driver’s license. Here, take a look.”

“So you do,” said the sheriff. “Well, I hear that you don’t have any insurance on this automobile.”

“Of course I have insurance,” the man answered. Reaching into the glove box, he pulled out his insurance information and said, “See here! My insurance is paid up! Here’s the proof!”

“OK, but what is this I hear about a dead body in the trunk of your car?”

“Dead body!? What are you talking about?” The driver opened up the trunk and showed the sheriff that there was nothing there except a spare tire.

Then the driver said, “Sheriff, this lying deputy of yours told you that I don’t have a license, but I do. Then he told you that I don’t have insurance, but I do. Then there was this wild story about a dead body in the trunk of my car! I suppose he also told you that I was speeding!”

Sometimes we don’t know who to believe. But we can always trust Jesus to tell us the truth.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”—John 14:6

 

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